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Becks Challis

I had a number of reasons for wanting to climb Kilimanjaro. I have raised money for Cornwall Air Ambulance before and really enjoyed it. I also have a number of friends who are surfers, one of whom was rescued by the air ambulance. I'm also a geography teacher so to climb Kili was one of my top dreams!

There were so many amazing things about this trek. Getting to the top of the highest free standing mountain in the world was epic, and raising all that money was so satisfying.

But it was also the people that made it great. I met some amazing people from both the UK and Tanzania. My friends from the trip - Dominic, Tanya, Holly, Lauren and Dan - spurred me on when things got tough. They were incredible. The whole of the Cornwall Air Ambulance team were amazing and I think it was that bond that got me through.

The toughest part of the trip was of course summit night; the last hour really hit me, as I was walking with no energy and nausea. But my lovely porter and friends helped me so much.

The other part of the trip I found hard was seeing the poverty in Tanzania and the hardships that our porters went through. The whole experience was very humbling and life changing.